Urolithin A provides cardioprotection and mitochondrial quality enhancement preclinically and improves human cardiovascular health biomarkers

• DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.111814
• Publication Date: 2025-01-14T22:52:23Z
• Authors: Sophia Liu; Julie Faitg; Charlotte Tissot; Dimitris Konstant...; Ross Laws; Guillaume Bourdier; Pénélope A. Andreux; Tracey Davey; Hector Gallart-Ayala; Julijana Ivanisevic; Anurag Singh; Chris Rinsch; David J. Marcinek; Davide D’Amico
• Keywords: Cardioprotection

Summary: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the primary cause of global mortality. Nutritional interventions hold promise to reduce CVD risks in an increasingly aging population. However, few nutritional interventions are proven to support heart health and act mostly on blood lipid homeostasis rather than at cardiac cell level. Here, we show that mitochondrial quality dysfunctions are common hallmarks in human cardiomyocytes upon heart aging and in chronic conditions. Preclinically, the post-biotic and mitophagy activator, urolithin A (UA), reduced both systolic and diastolic cardiac dysfunction in models of natural aging and heart failure. At a cellular level, this was associated with a recovery of mitochondrial ultrastructural defects and mitophagy. In humans, UA supplementation for 4 months in healthy older adults significantly reduced plasma ceramides clinically validated to predict CVD risks. These findings extend and translate UA’s benefits to heart health, making UA a promising nutritional intervention to support cardiovascular function as we age.